Links With The Past: League Cup Mementoes
Since its inception in 1960/61, Leicester City’s record in the League Cup is impressive.
Only Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have won the cup more times than the Foxes, who lifted the trophy in 1964, 1997 and 2000, as well as being runners-up in 1965 and 1999.
There are many mementoes from these triumphs in the Club’s heritage collection. One of these is the scaled down replica of the League Cup. The original cup was paid for personally by Football League president Joe Richards in 1961.
The replica was acquired by the Club following City’s victory at the last League Cup Final at the old Wembley, in 2000, when Matt Elliott’s two goals defeated Tranmere Rovers.
The first Leicester captain to lift the League Cup was Colin Appleton, following the defeat of Stoke City in the two-legged final in 1964.
The victorious City players were each awarded a winner’s tankard rather than a medal. Howard Riley’s tankard is on display at King Power Stadium. The tankard illustrated here was presented to Graham Cross.
When Leicester City next won the League Cup in 1997, by defeating a Middlesbrough side captained by Nigel Pearson, the status of the competition had increased significantly. The finals were played at Wembley, and the winners qualified for the UEFA Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Europa League.
Muzzy Izzet’s winners’ medal from that final, which was finally settled at the replay at Hillsborough, is pictured above. This medal (along with his shirt from that final) is also on display at King Power Stadium.